Danball Senki W: War of the Liberators
by xXGemini14Xx
Summary: Set one year after W. Just when things are finally settling down after the incident with Paradise and Mizel, a new enemy finally makes its appearance. With winners of LBX battles disappearing, Rei knows she's next on the target list. She'll have to work with Ban and his friends if they ever hope to defeat this new enemy who call themselves the Liberators.
1. Chapter 1: Enter! A New Ally and Enemy

_**Disclaimer:**_**I do not own Danball Senki, the concept and its characters, they all belong to their respective owners. All I own is my OCs and nothing else.**

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><p><strong>Just a brief intro to my OC before the story begins!<strong>

**Name:** Fujiwa Rei

**Age:** 15

**Hair Description:** Shoulder length brown hair with uneven bangs on the left side of her face

**Eye Color:** Green

**Likes:** Strategizing, Customizing and Ice cream :)

**Dislikes:** Liars

**Nicknames:** Tactician Empress, Rei-san or Fujiwa-san

**Background:** Being raised in a family of police, Rei usually has some difficulty trusting new people. She also loves customizing LBXs and strategizing battle styles during her free time, hence the reason why she's called the 'Tactician Empress' by her neighborhood, much to her embarrassment. She's usually calm and quiet about things but she can be serious when needed. Even though that seriousness tends to get her in a lot of trouble, her ability to be able to adapt to certain situations usually helps her out of sticky situations unscathed.

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><p><strong>Chapter I: <strong>

**Enter! A New Ally and Enemy**

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><p>"Break Over!" The announcer shouts and a child jumps in joy at the victory. Running to the podium, the young child smiles widely, waiting for the award he would receive as victor of the entire competition.<p>

"And the winner for this years-," The announcer was suddenly cut off when a huge wind picked up, sending everyone into a state of panic. The sky began to darken and everyone looked up with wide eyes at the sight of a huge black carrier hovering above them. A hole from the carrier opened and a strong rope flew out of it and grabbed the young boy on the podium.

"Waaahhhh!" The young child screamed but his cry was heard by deaf ears due to the mayhem the carrier brought. The carrier, having achieved its goal, flew higher into the skies until it vanished beyond the wide expanse of clouds.

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><p>"<em>Multiple kidnappings by a black carrier have been sighted all over Tokio City, officials have yet to confirm the reason for the incident but-," <em>I switched off the T.V. before the news anchor could say more. The 12th victim was a winner of a mini-competition for LBX's, the new hobby going about in the city. I find it weird at how all the victims of this random kidnappings have all been champions of those LBX competitions… I wonder what the true agenda behind all of this incidents is.

"I thought the Prime Minister already did something about this? Is there going to be another war involving LBXs." I heard my father comment as I took in a mouthful of rice and some fried eggs. I could see my mom eyeing me worriedly and I looked away. Since both of them are part of the police force, no doubt they already know the connections between the victims.

"As for you, Rei, make sure you take care in tomorrow's competition. I don't know what I might do if something were to happen to you." My father just shook his head as he eyed my LBX standing on the table next to me.

"Three consecutive wins in the Underground Viscidus and now competing in Artemis… No doubt, you could be a target for those low-life jerks."

"Dad…" I sighed. I understand that he's worried and all but it's like he wants me to lose or something. I take my pride as a player and I want to give it my all, I don't want to end up losing on purpose just because my dad thinks I might get kidnapped if I win.

"Dear, just trust in Rei. I know she can handle tomorrow's competition well." My mom gave me a small smile as she tried to appease my father. Dad only huffed in reply and continued to eat in silence, ignoring the both of us. I took this as a cue to leave and grabbed my LBX and headed upstairs to my room to prepare for tomorrow's Artemis battle.

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><p>"Break Over!" The M.C. shouts as I watch the enemy's LBX fall to the ground. People cheered at the spectacle and my only reply to it was a sigh of relief. I was lucky he missed that shot or my LBX would be the one on the ground right now.<p>

"Well, folks it looks like the winner of Block C is none other than Fujiwa Rei! With that settled, we will begin the Battle Royale and finally see the new winner of this year's 2052 Artemis Championship." Throngs of people shouted and cheered as I descended the stairs and proceeded to main hall where the champions from Block A-E were to wait.

"Giving up already?" The moment I got down, I saw two people arguing in the center of the hall. Tetsu Kyouji and Louise Bryant, the winners of Block A and D respectively were the ones causing the whole ruckus in the main hall.

"I tell you, I'm already satisfied with second place. Unless, you plan to push your luck and end up getting kidnapped, Tetsu-san." Louise flicks his bangs while giving the other guy a taunting smile.

"You're a chicken you know that! All of you here are!" Tetsu only shouts at everyone before stomping off. I could see all the tensed looks the champions gave and I sighed. I guess the news was too frightening it made everyone feel scared to try and win the whole thing.

"Fujiwa Rei, was it? How about you, what do you plan to do?" I hear Louise ask me and I muster a light laugh.

"You could consider it suicide but I guess my answer for you is… Bring it on! I don't care what the news says, I don't want people giving up just because they feel scared of getting kidnapped. And I expect that all of you intend to win this competition seeing as you've all made it this far." I shout and see everyone now eyeing me with a renewed conviction to win. Even Louise seemed like he wanted to win too.

"That's right! We take our pride and joy as LBX players and make sure we win this whole competition." I cheer and soon everyone cheers on as well for victory.

"Then I look forward to battling you, Rei-san." Louise stretches his hand for a shake and I take with my own with a huge and determined smile on my face.

"I'm all fired up!"

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><p>"And Musha is out for the count. What a powerful attack that was delivered by the Lightning Prince, Louise Bryant!" The M.C. announces as the champion from block B loses his LBX by Break Over.<p>

"You're next, Rei." I see Louise smirking at me as his XKnight LBX speeds in on mine. What amazing speed for a knight-framed LBX, no wonder he's dubbed as the Lightning Prince. I dodge his first two attacks and lunge for block E champion's LBX.

"What the-," Block E's champion shouts as I dig the spear into the center of her Kunoichi and blue lights explode as the LBX is declared defeated.

"What a sneaky move by Fujiwa Rei! Just when we thought she was making a run for it, she was actually aiming for Kunoichi all along."

"Sneaky, but you know the same trick won't work twice." Tetsu joins in the fray with his Panzer-type LBX and soon it becomes a 3-on-3 battle. I managed to dodge Tetsu's Gaou Canon and delivered two successive hits to Louise's LBX before he blocked the third one and grabbed my LBX by the leg and threw it.

"Attack Function!" I shout and my LBX glows a bight shade of blue as it flies up into the air.

**ATTACK FUNCTION: THUNDER CRASH**

A blast of electricity shoots out from my LBX's spear, creating a current that rendered Louise and Tetsu's LBXs immobilized. I smirked at the chance and stabbed the spear into XKnight, it shuddered at the attack before it fell face first to the ground in defeat. Louise stared at me dumbfounded but nevertheless he smiles in acceptance as he walks down from the diorama.

"What do have here? The Lightning Prince defeated by our new player! This is one shocking turn of events. Now it's become a 2-on-2 battle, who will win? The 3 times champion of Underground Viscidus Fujiwa Rei or the one they call the Iron Beast Tetsu Kyouji. " The announcer screams and the people begin to shout in frenzy at the battle.

"Iron Beast? Where do you get all these fancy nicknames?" I mutter to myself as I aim this time for Tetsu's immobilized LBX.

"Wrong move." I hear him laugh and my eyes widen when his LBX grabs my LBX's spear and whips it around and slams my LBX onto a nearby pillar.

"How can you still move?" I wonder as I dodged more of his income attacks before getting slammed again to another pillar.

"It's simple really, my Genbu II's defense has been tweaked to the maximum. Yes I admit, I was surprised that you rendered it immobilized for a few seconds but as I've said before the same trick won't work twice on me."

"I guess the name Iron Beast does befit you Tetsu but I too have a few tricks still left up my sleeve." I smile and soon my LBX begins to glow in a bluish light. Tetsu laughs as he sends his Genbu II at my LBX.

"Weren't you listening? A move like last time won't work on me twice."

"Attack Function!" Tetsu shouts. His LBX slams its fist on the solid ground and a rumble, like an earthquake began to shake the entire diorama.

**ATTACK FUNCTION: TERRA NOVA**

Magma begins to ooze from the cracked ground as Genbu II slams its fist again, causing a tsunami of lava heading for my direction. I look back to my CCM and a smile plasters my face as I see the bar finally reach 100%.

"Attack function!" I scream and my LBX begins to spin its spear until a huge amount of water begins to encircle it. I see the horrified look on Tetsu's face and I know this battle is over.

"Game over, Tetsu."

**ATTACK FUNCTION: OCEAN BLAST**

My LBX aims the spear on the incoming magma and the water and magma collide, creating a smokescreen as steam began to cover the entire diorama. I see Tetsu's LBX struggling from the magma that was now solidified around its body.

"Let's see if what you say is true Tetsu." I smile and aim the spear just in between of Genbu II's head and body.

"Attack Function!"

**ATTAK FUNCTION: THUNDER CRASH**

An explosion clears up the entire diorama of the steam and there I see Genbu II unmoving, electric currents surrounding its body before a blue light emits from Genbu II and then shatters. The whole stadium is quiet, completely breathless from the intense battle Tetsu and I fought.

"B-Break Over! Genbu II is down. The winner of Artemis 2052 is none other than Fujiwa Rei!" The announcers breaks the silence with his announcement and soon everyone cheers at my victory. I see Tetsu give me a thumbs up and I return the favor as well with a congratulatory shake for the battle.

"Will the victor please ascend to the main stage and receive the trophy!" The M.C. announces and I jump off the center stage and proceed to the main stage where I could see the M.C. and a robot person holding my trophy.

"Give it up folks for-," Before the M.C. could answer and before I could grab my trophy, a huge black shadow appears and I look up in horror at the scene. I could hear the people begin to panic as most of them rush out from their seats.

"Fujiwa-san, get out of the stage now!" I heard Tetsu shout, as he and Louise rush up to the main stage and grab me by the arm. Several policemen appear from behind us as a hole from the black carrier opens and a rope shoots out from it.

"Ah!" I scream as the rope tightens around my body and begins to hoist me up to the carrier. Tetsu and Louise grab each of my arms as they try to stop me from getting in the carrier. Dad knew it was dangerous and yet I still went on with it and won. It seems I was too confident because it didn't happen to me, now I feel stupid at trying to act cool.

"I don't want any of this at all!" I scream, tears streaming down my cheeks as I cried in fear. Why is this happening to me? I don't want any of this!

"Attack Function!"

**ATTCK FUNCTION: POWER SLASH**

An unknown LBX slashes at the rope, releasing me from the grip as I was sent to the ground with a thud. Louise and Tetsu helped me up as we watched the black carrier fly into the sky before vanishing into the clouds, the same thing it always does after every kidnapping but this time it's different because they failed to take me.

"Are you alright Rei?" Tetsu asks me and I nod.

"If it hadn't been for that LBX, then you'd have been kidnapped too." Louise adds in as he helps me to a chair while policemen from left and right began to swarm the entire stadium.

"Thanks for the help too guys." I managed to say, my heart beating so hard as if it was threatening to explode from my chest.

"Tetsu Kyouji and Louise Bryant? Your parents are waiting for you by the entrance." A policeman announced after approaching us.

"Take care okay, Rei." Tetsu and Louise say to me as they bid their farewell before running off with the policeman to meet their parents. I wave back as well before wrapping the blanket around me tightly, the fear now even more prominent since I was now alone.

"Fujiwa Rei?" I look up and see a boy about my age with brown hair and eyes. He wore a hooded red jacket with a yellow shirt inside and a pair of dark green shorts and red and white sneakers. Next to him was an older man who pretty much looked like him with the exception of the lab coat the older man was wearing. Who are these people? How do they even know my name? They look even more suspicious than the police.

"Ban." The older man stopped the boy and shook his head before giving me a warm smile. I guess he saw the alarmed look I was giving them and decided that going about it too quickly was going to make me even more scared.

"Oh, Sorry. I guess you're still in shock huh." The boy apologized. Wait a second… did the man just call him Ban? Could it be-,

"Could it be that you're Yamano Ban!?" I nearly shouted in surprise. The fear evaporated in an instant when I saw one of the most powerful LBX players standing in front me. When he confirmed my question with an embarrassed nod, I nearly fell of my seat in surprise.

"The one and only and this man here is my father, Yamano Jyunichiro." Ban replies and the man who I know created the LBX, Professor Yamano, nods in greeting as well.

"Well, this is a surprise… but what do you want with me?" I ask curiously and that's when I saw the LBX who saved me a while back, perched on Ban's right shoulder. So I guess it was Ban who just saved me a while ago then…

"You saw the black carrier right?"

"Saw it? It nearly kidnapped me!" I panicked and then sighed again, trying my best to calm the pounding of my heart.

"Sorry, being my savior and all, I have to at least thank you for what you did…" I apologized but Ban assured me it was alright. Rumors are true then, Ban's just too kind for his own good.

"You're scared, I know how that feels. When I got my first LBX Achilles, many bad people have been trying to get me… but I met good people along the way who were willing to help me… so you can trust us too." Ban patted me on the shoulder as if assuring me that they could be trusted. I quickly looked down on the ground contemplating on what he said.

Trust is such a hard thing to get but here I am just easily giving it to people who try to tell me I could trust them. It's just too easy for them, here I am a victim of kidnapping, scared, alone and doubtful of everyone. Then they just come waltzing in telling me that I could trust them. Sure I know about them but only in T.V.s. How do they expect me to trust them now that there here in front of me in the flesh?

"I-I'm sorry…" I only shake my head. It's just too early to trust them. Right now, all I want is to go home and just stay there until all of this blows off. Ban and Professor Yamano take this as a cue and both nod their head, disappointment somewhat clear on their faces.

"I understand… but if even you need our help here's my number." Ban just smiles as he sends me his number through his CCM. I nod in reply after receiving his number and give them a wave of good-bye as the policemen begin to escort me back to my home.

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><p>"Oh, thank goodness!" Mom rushed to me when I opened the door to our house. Apparently, it was dad who sent those policemen to the stadium, just in case something were to go awry. Being the chief of police sure has some perks.<p>

"Thank you, I'll make sure this goes to all your paychecks." I hear dad chatting with some of his men before closing the door and looking at me worriedly.

"I'll save the lecturing for later. I'm just glad you're safe." Dad musters a shaky laugh of relief as he hugs me tightly. I hug them both back tightly as I could, afraid to let go.

"You better get ready, dinner's almost up." Mom reminds me with a smile before letting go and I nod before going up to my room to get dressed.

I opened the door to my room and dropped my bag on the bed. I opened it and took out the Artemis trophy, admiring it with contentment. Regardless of the frightening incident, I'm still glad I won and got this neat trophy. After all, the trophy was proof of my skills as an LBX player. I then took out my LBX Hel from her case and positioned her next to my CCM on my study table.

"Hmm…" I stared at Hel and continued to ponder if it looked nice on her or not. The trophy wasn't the only thing I won from the competition. The other award was some sort of shield that looked pretty much like a miniature version of the Aegis shield in Greek mythologies. The only difference was it was sleek black in color as if it came from the pits of Tartarus and not Olympus.

"Well, I've always wanted to earn for a shield but doesn't this lower Hel's speed due to the weight?" I wonder as I check the CCM and realize that that wasn't the case. The shield was almost weightless when I saw that no change had been made to Hel's speed status.

"Rei! Dinner's ready." Mom called from the stairs. I looked back to Hel and then decided that I would just check it out tomorrow. I then changed to my usual white hooded shirt and blue shorts before shouting from the stairs that I'd be down in a minute.

*Beep* *Beep*

"Hn?" I looked around my room for the source of that beeping sound. I then proceeded to my bed and looked under it. I could have sworn the sound was coming from under here…

"Where is it-," I cut myself short when I saw something flashing red from further the end of the bed. My eyes went wide when I saw that it was an LBX and jerked back, missing the tranquilizer by a few inches. I looked around and saw countless more of them jumping in from my window. I quickly ran to Hel and flipped my CCM open.

"Rei? What's taking you so long?" I could hear Mom's worried tone as she was trying to open the door. I slammed it shut and locked the door. No way was I going to let some LBXs try to hurt my parents.

"Mom… I'm sorry!" I shouted and jumped out of my room from the window. I rolled from the roof and scrambled down to the ground, the LBXs following suit while shooting tranquilizers at me.

"Go, Hel!" I shouted and had Hel take down some of the LBXs while rushing out the gate of my house. I could hear mom and dad calling out to me but I refused to look back and just kept running.

"Attack Function!" I shouted and Hel unleashed a huge barrage of electric bursts that destroyed half of the LBXs. Why are these things chasing me? Could it be the kidnappers from the black carrier? I guess they still weren't giving up on me then.

"Attack Function!"

**ATTACK FUNCTION: GUNGIR**

A spear shot out from nowhere, hitting multiple enemies with one shot. I felt a hand grab mine and I saw Ban dragging me towards the Tokio City square. I could hear other multiple shouts of people and I turned to see more kids coming out from the corner and attacking the rogue LBXs.

"Don't worry they're allies." Ban assured me as we all assembled in the center of the park. I could make out a few familiar faces in the dark and my eyes widened when I realized that all of them had been winners or players of Artemis.

The partners of Ban when he won Artemis 2050, Aoshima Kazuya and Kawamura Ami. The third placer in the 2050 Artemis, Yuuya Haibara. The third and fourth place winners in 2051 Artemis, Oozora Hiro and Hanazaki Ran. The daughter of the secretary of the A-Nation, Jessica Kaios was also here. Even the second place winner in the 2050 Artemis and the one they call the Split Second Kill Emperor Kaidou Jin was with us.

"They have us completely surrounded, Ban!" Kazuya shouted as his Achilles Deed continued to soar from the sky while shooting with its laser gun.

"Well, I won't let them get to us! Attack Function!" Ami shouted and her Pandora jumped into the air, its fist glowing in a bright light.

**ATTACK FUNCTION: SOUKEN RANGEKI**

"I'm not about to lose too!" Ran pumped her fist in a karate move as her Minerva Kai prepared for its attack function Homura Kuzushi Kiwami. Even Hiro had his Achilles D9 activate Sword Bit as it rammed onto more rampaging Egypts.

"Attack Function!" Jin, Yuuya and Jessica shouted in unison and their LBXs Triton, Liu Bei and Jeanne D glowed in bright lights making me close my eyes.

**ATTACK FUNCTION: OCEAN BLAST**

**ATTACK FUNCTION: BYAKKO SHOHAZAN**

**ATTACK FUNCTION: SIDE WINDER-8**

Explosions that nearly deafened my ears engulfed the entire park, each of the attacks hitting their aim as more LBXs collapsed to the ground. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as they all buckled to the ground tiredly, the tensing situation finally coming to an end. I too collapsed to the ground, my mind still trying its best to process what just happened. Had it not been for them then I would have been a goner.

"You alright, Rei-san?" I looked up and saw once again Ban, reaching out his hand to help me up. I smiled tiredly and nodded, taking his hand and hoisting myself up.

"Man, you have some pesky stalkers, huh Rei-san." Hiro joked while he scratched the back of his tiredly.

"I don't know why they're so persistent though." I laughed and then looked to my left when I saw Ban pat me on the shoulder as if wanting to say something.

"Ban, we'll discuss this when we get back to her house. I think her parents deserve to know this too." Jin stopped him and suddenly my eyes went wide when I realized my parents were still at home and probably worrying sick about me and my little escapade.

"I'm am so going to be dead." I groaned as I led them back to my home.

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><p>"That's it! I knew joining Artemis was a terrible idea." My dad fumed when we all gathered in the living room. Mom tried her best to calm him down but I understood dad, who'd be calm when your daughter had been nearly kidnapped again.<p>

"So, what brings so many kids here just to see my daughter?" My dad all eyed them one by one which unnerved some, like Hiro and Yuuya.

"We came here to bring your daughter with us to NICS." Ban answered. My eyes grew wide at the sudden announcement of this. Even dad looked like he was about to double over. Only mom seemed calm as if she knew something like this was about to happen.

"NICS!? You're sending my daughter away from us to some government abroad? And what makes me so sure that I can trust you? You're all just kids." He shouted in disbelief. Dad was right on that one, it was impossible for a few kids like them to ever handle something even the police themselves had difficulty on solving.

"NICS happens to be one of the strongest and safest place your daughter could ever be in. As far as investigations are concerned, we have reasons to believe some of the higher echelons of the police force are part of this kidnapping scheme. I assure you, we mean her no harm." Jessica defended and I saw dad eye her suspiciously.

"Kaios, I've heard that name. So your dad's the secretary eh. It's always about using power over others isn't it? Last I checked, NICS was nearly blown to bits by a satellite. How can it be the safest place in the Rei could ever be in!?"

"All your faces are very familiar to me. Kaidou Jin, grandson of a politician who tried to use technology for evil. Haibara Yuuya, a boy who was used as a guinea pig for some twisted creation. Oozora Hiro, son of the one who created the artificial intelligence Adam and Eve, a great discovery had it not been used to launch a weapon that would destroy the world. Lastly, Yamano Ban, son of the man who created the LBX, the very why you're all here in this room persuading me to let my daughter go with you." Dad accused and I saw all of them fall silent.

It is true though, how could he trust them when majority of their backgrounds led to this kind of happenings. I knew none of them were at fault, that it was the grown-ups themselves who made the errors that are now being carried by the younger generations. A part of me believed them but another warring against it, whispering to me about trusting too early on kids who think they know the harshness of the world's reality. But who was I to judge them? Even I didn't know about this whole mess I've gotten myself into.

"I-I want to trust them." I finally spoke out and saw my dad stare at me in disbelief. Ban looked surprised but there was relief in his eyes as if he was glad I wouldn't decline them again.

"Don't get this the wrong way… If it means keeping my family safe then I'll do it." I reminded them and for some reason, every one of them understood me.

"Don't worry, everyone has something worth fighting for. If it helps, we'll do what we can to stop all of this." Hiro pumped his fist, assuring me. I nodded and turned to face both my parents.

"If you know this is right then I won't stop you Rei, just keep safe and come home when all of this ends… okay." Mom hugged me tightly in approval to my decision. Mothers are always like that… they always trust your decision even if it pained them sometimes. Mom didn't show it but I knew she was worrying for me deep inside. Dad was the only one of both of them who was vocal about the decision.

"Your mom says it is okay but you know as well as I do what my answer is." He sighed and hugged me tightly, this would have been embarrassing I front of Ban and the others but right now, I could really use dad's safe embrace.

"I'm allowing you but please… stay safe." He whispered and I nodded. When we parted, dad coughed to gain everyone's attention.

"If so much as a hair on her head is missing then as chief of police I have every right to arrest all of you!" He bellowed and I saw everyone pale making me laugh. He shot me a dark look and began to rant on and on about how they should behave making me blush in embarrassment.

Parents can be scary sometimes.

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><p>Against everyone's wishes, Mom had managed somehow to get everyone to stay over for the night.<p>

"I never knew moms could be so persuasive." Yuuya said as they all snuggled up on a makeshift bed in our living room. Only the sofa was the one thing separating the boys from the girls. To get to know them better, I decided to sleep with them and so snuggled up between Ami and Ran near the T.V.

"Considering her job as a police officer, I'm not really surprised." I say before trying to stifle a yawn.

"But your dad is scary, Rei-san. Did you see the way he glares at everyone? Gave me the shivers." I could Hiro's voice tremble making me chuckle.

"Really? He didn't look angry to me." Kazuya pointed out and both Yuuya and Hiro suddenly retorted on how did he not see dad's 'death glare'.

"Well if you ask me, you have a nice family." Ran yawned and I smiled. I'm glad they actually loved mom and dad's overprotectiveness too.

"Yeah, we'll make a mental not to visit you again when all of this blows off." Ami giggled.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it."

"I told you before Rei. We're friends now so you can confide in us too." Ban finally said and I could feel everyone smiling to assure me they felt the same.

"Ban's right! When you need help we'll come running. It's what friends do." Jessica added in. I snuggled deep in the covers, feeling heat rise to my cheeks at their kindness. Would it have been any different if I had lost that day? Had I not won then I would never have met such great people.

"Fate has a funny way of making things happen, Rei. So don't worry too much." As if reading my thoughts, Jin finally joined the conversation. Jin's right, fate sure is funny. It has a habit of leading you into unpredictable situations but for me this might be one of the best situations fate has ever given me. The conversation continued on until everyone finally decided to sleep. I closed my eyes and for the first time in my life-

I felt myself smiling as I drifted off to sleep.

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><p>First Chapter! So this basically happens a year after W. Hope you R&amp;R guys :)<p>

**xXGemini14Xx**- Signing Out!


	2. Chapter 2: Battle in the Sky

_**Disclaimer:**_**I do not own Danball Senki, the concept and its characters, they all belong to their respective owners. All I own is my OC and nothing else. I also made up some LBXs and attack moves but I make no claim on it because the idea still belongs to their respective owners, just to let you guys know.**

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><p><strong>Chapter II: Battle in the Sky and a New Power<strong>

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><p>I hugged my parents one last time before we parted ways. Dad giving the group one more warning before walking off, much to my embarrassment.<p>

A man with a black hair and dressed in a purple attire greeted us by the entrance to the air craft's launching site. Ban introduced him as his dad's helper, Cobra. I nodded a greeting before handing him my stuff as we made final preparations for take-off. I always thought that after the competition, the only thing I'd be doing was fighting in more mini- competitions while balancing my school life at the same time. Never did I think that I'd be flying a mile away from home just to find a way to stop some group of people from kidnapping me and other people for God knows what.

"Duck Shuttle, take off!" The huge ship suddenly rose up to the sky and as I glanced out of the window, I saw the airport begin to grow smaller until it was finally covered by the clouds.

"I guess it can't be helped." I overheard Ban say when we were finally allowed to get off our seats. I took a peep and saw him talking with Kazuya and Ami, both of them having serious expressions on their faces. I wonder what they're talking about.

"Look out!" Hiro's frantic shout made me stop just in time to miss his LBX from hitting me in the face. Ban and the others turned to see the commotion as Hiro ran to me with a worried look on his face.

"Gome! Rei-san. I kinda lost control over my LBX." Hiro apologized as I handed him Achilles D9. I assured him I was fine and then turned to Ban and the others who were now gathered near us.

"Something up? You had grim faces during the talk so I got worried..." I questioned and saw three of them looking at each other worriedly which made me all the more suspicious. Could it be they have something to hide? I know it's wrong to judge them but being born in a family full of people who always question the acts of others can have its disadvantage.

"Hiro! Where did you run off to? We haven't finished our battle yet." Ran shouted and just like that my question was easily set aside as Kazuya used the oppurtunity to change the topic.

"Well, I better tune Achilles Deed up before we depart. We never know when we might run into those rogue LBXs again."

"I'll help you then. You coming Ban?" Ami smiled. Ban looked at me with an apologetic look on his face before he too went along with Kazuya and Ami.

"_I-I want to trust them. Don't get this the wrong way… If it means keeping my family safe then I'll do it." _The words I had said the night before swirled in my mind as I watched the trio exit the passenger's room. The only reason I was willing to trust them was so that I could keep my family safe, nothing more nothing less. That's why I shouldn't have any reason to care about their personal businesses, right?

"Ah! Rei-san. So glad I found you too." Ran's voice snapped me back to reality as I turned a questioning look to her direction.

"Hiro and I were just busy practicing our skills. It'd be great if you could join us for sparring. I'd love to see how strong the winner of the 2052 Artemis is."

"Eh? I-I don't know guys…"

"Aw, come on Rei-san! It'll be a new experience for all of us. Knowing each other's battle style will aid us in our future battles against the forces of evil." Hiro shouted, all pumped up for the match. I looked at both their pleading eyes and sighed to myself in defeat, deciding that maybe Hiro's suggestion isn't such a bad idea.

"Alright fine…"

"Alright!" They both high-fived each other and soon dragged me outside the passenger's room and to the LBX training room.

* * *

><p>"Ara, if it isn't Rei-san. What are you guys doing here?" Jessica greeted when we entered the room. Two D Cubes stood in the center of the room while a few tables surrounded the room where the LBXs could be repaired and prepared. Jessica, along with Jin and Yuuya, stood on the left D Cube, their hands on their CCM which made me conclude that they were busy training when we came in.<p>

"We came here with Rei-san to train. Seeing as she is the 2052 Artemis winner, I'd love to see how she plays." Ran answered as we walked towards the right D Cube, Hiro taking the left, Ran taking the right and me taking the center.

"Well we just finished training. Is it alright if we watched you guys play?" Yuuya asked us and we all agreed. Jessica and Yuuya gathering at the bottom part of the D Cube.

"Huh? Jin, aren't you going to watch?" Jessica wondered and I looked up to see Jin busy packing up his LBX and walking towards the exit.

"Sorry, I have something important to do. Maybe next time." He apologized and then walked out of the room. The conversation Ban, Ami and Kazuya had a while back surfaced again in my mind, thinking that Jin could be in on it too. What makes it so important that they couldn't tell me?

"_I-I want to trust them. Don't get this the wrong way… If it means keeping my family safe then I'll do it." _The same words replayed in head. I'm willing to trust them because it's for my family, that's why I decided to go with them without so much as thinking of what the outcome would be on my part. But why do I feel so upset that Ban and the others would hide something from me?

"R…ei…Rei-san!" Hiro's voice snapped me back again to reality and I saw Hiro and Ran looking at me worriedly.

"You looked like you were somewhere else. Is there something wrong?" Ran asked worriedly, Jessica and Yuuya giving off the same worried look as we stood there by the D Cube. I only shook my head in reply, forcing to dismiss the events as nothing more but my delusions and put up a small smile.

"Let's fight! I'm so pumped up right now." I yelled excitedly, avoiding Ran's question. Luckily, no one in the group seemed to mind my rather abrupt change of topic as Hiro grinned widely and pulled out his Achilles D9.

"Man, this looks exciting!" Yuuya smiled as the diorama began to form into a huge plateau.

"Let's go, Achilles D9!"

"Go, Minerva Kai!"

"Time to heat up the battle field. Go, Hel!"

All three LBXs appeared in the center of the huge plateau, each of us giving side glance at our opponents.

**BATTLE START!**

Ran wasted no time and charged directly at me with her Minerva Kai. I blocked her attack with the Aegis shield and returned with a counter, missing her LBX by inches with my spear. Minerva Kai backed up a bit and then dodged again when Hiro's Achilles D9 tried to attack her.

"Hey no fair! Are you guys ganging up on me?" Ran pouted as she dodged another one of Achilles D9's attack. Using their confusion as a chance, I let Hel hide behind one of the plateaus and pushed a button in my CCM that allowed my spear's tip to split into three to form a trident.

"Hey, where did Hel go?" Hiro wondered when he noticed that I was not participating in the battle royal. Even Minerva Kai stopped to scan for Hel.

"Attack function!" I shouted and a surge of water appeared from above the sky.

**ATTACK FUNCTION: OCEAN BLAST**

The attack hailed a torrent of water as the field began to get muddy and wet. I quickly switch to spear form and landed on the dry ground which was farther from the both of them.

"I don't know what's going on in your mind but I find it odd that you'd use up an attack function just to-,"Jessica's voice was cut off by Hiro's frantic shout. A smile graced my lips as I saw Achilles D9, waist deep in mud. Ran managed to evade my attack and was now hiding somewhere in the terrain, something that I was actually expecting.

"Sorry, Hiro. But I'll take care of Ran first." I apologized and began to search for Minerva Kai. Being a close-fighter and strider-framed at that too, Minerva Kai had amazing speed but at the same time a very low defense. She had the same stats as my Hel so I knew that fighting Hiro first wasn't such a good idea. One would have chosen to fight Hiro first to get rid of the strong one and then fight Minerva Kai but I knew Hiro's tactics. He always found a way around sticky situations. The Aegis shield was enough to boost my defense so I can battle Hiro without worrying too much on how much damage I received from Ran.

"Now where could you be hiding?" I wondered as I closed my eyes and began to picture the whole plateau in my head. While they were busy fighting a while ago, I took the liberty to memorize the entire area. The only place one could hide for an ambush is…

"There!" I aimed Hel's spear in a small opening that resembled a cave and I saw Minerva Kai jump out to dodge my oncoming attack.

"Attack Function!" I heard Hiro shout and I saw Ran's eyes widen when she turned to see Achilles D9 behind Minerva Kai, Sword Bit already unleashed and hitting Minerva Kai directly. Dust covered the field when Minerva Kai hit the ground hard. A bluish light emitted from the dust and I saw Ran sigh and then smile.

"I guess I'm out of the fight then." She grinned just as the dust cleared and Minerva Kai lay on the ground unmoving.

"Looks like my plan worked." I smiled and then turned serious when I saw Achilles D9 rushing towards me in lightning quick speed. I blocked the attack with Aegis, the impact hard enough to cause Hel to dig through the ground. I guess my assessment's right, Oozora Hiro is one formidable opponent.

"What do you mean your plan worked?" Hiro asked me as we took turn delivering blows, neither one giving in to the other.

"Fighting against you two would leave me at a disadvantage. I set up that mud trap to leave Achilles D9 immobilized and give me enough time to defeat Minerva Kai. But upon realizing that both of you are not to be taken too lightly, especially since Hiro had managed to get out my trap quickly than I had planned, I decided that maybe it was better if either of you took each other out, the winner being the one I battle." I explained when one of my attacks hit and pushed Achilles D9 to the ground. Hiro frowned as he dodged another of my attacks and this time was able to fling Hel to a nearby earthen wall.

"At such a short time… how did she even think up of that kind of strategy?" I heard Yuuya wonder as I dodged another attack from Achilles D9. I could see both Jessica and Ran in awe as Hiro and I continued to exchange more blows, our life gauge nearing zero. I have to act fast, anymore hits and Hel is sure to lose. I dug deep into my mind to think of a strategy that will end this battle in my favor.

"Attack function!" I snapped back to reality when I saw Achilles D9 release its attack. When did he-,

"Attack function!" In response to his attack, Hel unleashed Thunder Crash and collided with the force that was aiming for me. A bright light forced us to cover our eyes as the bright light turned into a sound of an explosion that reverberated throughout the room.

"What happened?" Jessica asked when the smoke finally cleared and we saw the result of our fight- A tie.

"I guess it's a draw." I said in awe as I picked up Hel from the diorama. I guess I was right, Hiro was one tough opponent.

"Man, that battle was awesome!" Hiro shouted excitedly and I saw him smiling at me widely making me turn red in embarrassment. Even Ran, Jessica and Yuuya agreed that this was the first time they saw such an intense battle that wasn't being held in an Artemis battle.

"It's only right that you won, Rei-san. Being able to adapt that fast in the battlefield and turning the situation in your favor, I've hardly ever seen someone do it. Your one amazing strategist." Jessica complemented. I mustered a shaky laugh in embarrassment while scratching the back of my head. They make it sound like I'm so strong that it makes me feel flustered. My friends can be such-

"_I-I want to trust them. Don't get this the wrong way… If it means keeping my family safe then I'll do it." _The words once again echoed in my head and a smile crept up my face.

"I guess I got it the wrong way." I mumbled myself. That's right, how could people who love LBX so much be bad guys. I've seen Louise and Tetsu and the innocence and fun in their eyes as we battled. I saw that again too in Hiro and Ran's eyes when we battled. LBX is what brings people like us together, it's the very reason why I should trust them. If they care so much for LBXs then no doubt that's how much they care for the people around them too.

"Got 'what' the wrong way, Rei-san?" Hiro wondered and I just shook my head. I guess I owe Ban and the others an apology. They didn't deserve to be judged too harshly just because they kept something from me. An LBX's friend is also my friend after all.

"I think it's time we head on over to the deck to eat. I'm starving." I said and at the same time all of our stomachs grumbled, making us laugh.

"That battle made me hungry too! I call dibs on the beef!" Hiro called as he ran out of the room. Ran made a retort and chased after Hiro who was then followed by Jessica, me and then Yuuya.

That's right, it's okay to trust them.

* * *

><p>"Hey, who took all the meat?" Ran complained and then groaned when she saw Kazuya and Hiro happily munching on the remaining meat. I giggled at the sight before taking another sip of juice.<p>

"You should have seen them fight! It was like watching an Artemis battle." I heard Jessica say and I turned to see her conversing with the others who didn't watch the fight.

"I've never seen such and amazing strategy so the battle really did take me by surprise." Yuuya added in.

"But it ended in a draw so we still have settle that with a round two, neh, Hiro." I joined in too and then turned to Hiro who nodded eagerly with a huge smile on his face.

"I guess it is a shame we didn't get to see it." Ban said as he turned to face Kazuya, Ami and Jin. The other three nodding in agreement before Ami turned to me with a smile on her face.

"But it is worth it, seeing as we did plan something for Rei-san along the way, right?" She said and I looked at her curiously, wondering what she was talking about. A surprise? It's not even my birthday yet. So what are they talking about?

"Sorry if we were a bit dodgy on the question a while back but we did want to do something to make you feel welcome." Kazuya apologized as well and then I saw Jin approach me with a cake on both his hands. The words '_Welcome Rei'_ engraved in icing on the top.

"Hiro, Jessica, Ran and Yuuya were supposed to keep you occupied while we readied the cake. So it looks like our plan worked" Jin said as he placed the cake before me. A bubble of laughter escaped my mouth as tears of mirth escaped from eyes. And all this time I was so worried what they were hiding something from me.

"You guys are the best!" I shouted gleefully and everyone in the room smiled at my reply.

"This is bad! Everyone hurry!" The happiness was cut short when the door flew open and a short old man in a pink tracksuit came in. I easily recognized him as the great hacker Otacross and wondered why he looked so rattled. Before I could question why, an explosion resounded and we all looked at the monitor to see a horde of LBXs on flying saucers shooting lasers at the shuttle.

"This is bad, several of the thruster are damaged, it'll take a while to repair it but if they keep on attacking then they might end up crashing the whole shuttle." Cobra said and every one of us knew the only way to fix this-

We have no choice but to fight.

"I'm counting on you guys. Otacross and I will see what we can do." Cobra added before he and Otacross dashed to the control room. All of us looked at each other before nodding and running until we all ended up in a large room with several control pods in it. We all placed our LBXs in the chute before we rushed into the pod and started up the machine.

"Don't they know when to give up?" I said as our LBXs flew towards the enemy, some already going down with the help of Kazuya's Achilles Deed and Ran's Minerva Kai. Jin, Jessica and Yuuya managed to take down a few but more came to take their place.

"Attack function!" I called out and a barrage of electricity shot down a half of the rogue LBXs.

"Look out!" I turned and saw Hiro taking a blow as he pushed Ran away from an oncoming missile attack. Achilles D9 fell from the saucer and I had Hel swoop in just in time to catch it. Hiro gave me a quick thank you before he got on his saucer again and attacked more of the oncoming LBXs.

"We can't hold them much longer!" Ban shouted through the intercom as his Odin Mk II was just saved by Jin's Triton from being overpowered.

"We'll have to find the controller. It's obvious that they're being controlled by some centralized machine. If we find it and destroy it then we can wipe them out in one attack." Jin concluded and I turned to the screen to see Otacross searching something on a screen.

"I found it! The Brain Jacking machine's located on the nearest signal tower from us!" He answered quickly and I scanned the ground and saw a tall red telephone pole, I zoomed in closer and found a blinking red light on top.

"Found it!" I shouted urgently and motioned towards the telephone pole.

"Rei-san look out!" Yuuya's shout made me turn to see several incoming missiles heading towards me. I tried to dodge but an electric jolt immobilized Hel and I saw a wire attached to a sting gun from one of the rogue LBXs lodged onto one of the saucer's wings. I saw the screen shift and I had Hel turn to find Triton and Liu Bei in front of me.

"What are you doing!?" I panicked as the missiles closed in on our LBXs.

"We'll hold of the missiles with an attack function, Ran hurry and get rid of that LBX that's paralyzing Hel." Jin ordered and Ran's Minerva Kai rushed in to deliver the blow just as Jin and Yuuya readied their attack functions.

"Are you mad? At this proximity, you'll get caught in the blast too! You don't have to risk too much." I shouted frantically as water started to form on Triton's spear while Liu Bei began to glow white.

"We promised your dad we'd try to keep you safe. You agreed to come with us so it's only right we take responsibility for it." Yuuya only said as they both unleashed their attacks at the missiles.

"No!" I shouted and my CCM started blinking frantically. I turned to my CCM and my eyes widened at what was on it. If it means protecting my new friends then I'll have to try.

"Defense Function!" I cried and the Aegis shield began to glow as a huge transparent orb began to encircle Hel, Triton and Liu Bei.

**DEFENSE FUNCTION: AEGIS**

The missile and their attacks collided and a huge explosion followed by a strong wind covered us. I opened my eyes and I saw in shock that all three of us were completely safe, the orb slowly vanishing until the Aegis shield stopped glowing.

"What on earth was that?" Ban broke the silence when we noticed that all the LBXs started to fall from the sky. Kazuya later on answering that he and Ami had finally destroyed the controller.

"I've never heard of such a thing as Defense Function. What did you do, Rei?" Hiro added in and I saw all of them looking at me from the screen with curious look on their faces.

"I-I'm just as confused as you guys. I never knew that Artemis was holding such a powerful prize." I stammered as I stared at Hel from my screen, the Aegis shield back to its sleek black color. Never before in my whole battling career did I ever come across such a function. Could it be that whoever put it in the Artemis knew that whoever won would need such a thing to keep those LBXs away?

"We're done repairing the ship! You guys can-," Otacross tried to say before he was cut off and a deeper and more ominous voice resounded through our intercom.

"I congratulate you on a job well done from holding us back but rest assured that the worst is yet to come if you do not hand us over what we want." The voice said and my hand gripped the control pod's joystick tightly in fear. It's obvious who they are, they were the same people who tried to kidnap me back at Artemis and at home.

"Who are you? What do you want!?" Ban demanded and a low chuckle reverberated from the intercom.

"We call ourselves the Liberators and our mission is to destroy this world and in its ashes rebuild an era of perfection where only those worthy will live. A dream our Master, Mizel, has passed on to us." He added and all of us gasped at the shocking realization that he worked for Mizel, an entity created from Oozora Haruka's projects- the Artificial Intelligence, Adam and Eve.

"I thought we defeated Mizel?" Hiro clenched his teeth in anger and another low chuckle answered from the intercom.

"He may have been defeated but his ideals have not. A few of us realized his idea of a Perfect World was right, that the only way this world will improve is if we get rid of the bugs that hinder us from achieving a prefect future."

"Then why are you going after us? Those 12 kids don't deserve this!" I shouted angrily and the voice only laughed which made me even more irritated. This was no laughing matter and yet the person on the other end of the line found the idea of killing the useless really amusing. What kind of sick person is he?

"Oh, they are more important in this plan than you think. That includes you as well, Fujiwa Rei. The one they call the Tactician Empress. You and the other 12 have something that will help fulfill our goals and it is imperative we do whatever it take to get what we want."

"Well, we won't let you! We'll defeat you before you even get near Rei-san!" Ran angrily answered.

"Those who stand in the way of our goals will be destroyed. You cannot escape this fate for it has already begun. My time is up, we will see each other soon and we will get what we want." The voice finally said before the intercom was cut off and the feeling of fear and dread engulfed me as my mind went blank at what he said.

* * *

><p>"That is bad. We have to get her to NICS fast before they attempt another attack on us." Cobra said as he turned to his computer screen.<p>

After the fight, we gathered in the deck of the ship and began talking about what the voice had said. They called themselves the Liberators and for some reason, they were fanatics of Mizel's ideal about a Perfect World being the only solution for man to progress to the future. The voice didn't elaborate further on what the 12 kids, including me, had to do with the success of their plans. One thing's for sure, they won't be giving up on me anytime soon, which scared me because I don't even know what makes me so important that they'd need me.

"Don't worry too much about it, Rei-san. Like what Ran said, we'll defeat them before they even get to you." Ami assured me but I could only give her a small smile.

"Thank you for doing this but aren't you scared about what he said? Don't you fear for your lives?"

"We've faced these kinds of things before. As heroes, we must do our best to safeguard the people and the world." Hiro assured me as well before he started quoting something from a film called Senshiman.

"Ami and I will rendezvous with Professor Yamano tomorrow. Sorry if we won't be going with you guys on the flight to NICS but it is imperative we give the message to him and prepare for the battle." Kazuya added in to tell us of their sudden departure in the middle of the trip. It's a good thing Ban's dad will be aiding us in this mission, a mind like Professor Yamano might be able to help us in this case.

"Very well then. The rest of us will head on as planned. Please send my regards to dad, Kazuya." Ban said before we all got up to get ourselves ready for our arrival at NICS tomorrow.

"Rei-san, wait." I stopped in my tracks and I turned to see Jin and Yuuya still sitting on the deck. I approached them and Jin motioned me for a sit in front of them.

"Anything up guys?" I asked, wondering why they seemed serious right now. Did something come up?

"Yuuya and I would like to say thanks for saving us a while ago." Jin finally answered.

"You guys were trying to protect me, it was the least I could do." I assured them that it was only right that I returned the favor by helping them out because they tried to save me.

"True, but it's only right we give our thanks." Yuuya smiled and I smiled embarrassingly.

"I'm just glad that that function happened. Whoever made Aegis was a lifesaver" I reminded them and then I saw Jin and Yuuya turned serious at my answer as if they knew something.

"When we saw that function, we had Otacross do a quick scan on who created the shield and for what purpose. For some odd reason, no data came up on who the maker was but one thing was for sure." Jin paused and then turned to look at me right in the eye.

"The shield was meant for no one else but you." He concluded which made me laugh which caught them both off-guard. I mean, unless they were a fortune teller, whoever sent the shield as a prize could never have predicted that I'd win the tournament.

"There are a lot of stronger people than me in the tournament, Jin. How on earth could they have known that I would win the prize?" I stood up and began to pace the room.

"It is true that there was one in a thousand chances that you could have lost but the proof lies in the fact that when the shield was delivered a letter came with it." Yuuya added in and this made me stop laughing.

"What did the letter say?" I asked and the next words Yuuya said sent chills down my spine.

"Give this to the one who owns the Queen of Hell."

"You've got to be joking, Yuuya. There could have been other people who wields LBXs like mine. It could have been a coi-,"

"It was no coincidence. Hel is a custom made LBX only you alone made. Even Otacross himself has never come across such an LBX. Whoever sent the letter knew you very well, well enough to give you Aegis should those men come after you." Jin cut me off.

"Wait a second! Isn't the Liberators going after LBX winners? Why on earth would you think that regardless of me losing they'd still come after me?" I reminded them, stating that all 12 victims so far have been winners of battles. Had I lost then they would never have gone after me.

"Did you forget what the Liberators said?" Jin replied but before I could answer it was Yuuya who did it for me.

"They called your name specifically, Rei-san."

"They could have done a background check." I retorted wondering why they were forcing such a conclusion on me.

"They called you the Tactician Empress, the mere fact they called you by your nickname meant they distinguished you as a favorable target. That much is proof." Jin countered and I stopped talking to look at him when the words finally sunk in.

"You were a target whether you won or not. All the more reason why whoever sent the shield made sure to give it to no one else but you." Yuuya said as I sat back down on the chair, energy draining from me as the dread of realization finally sunk in. Winning or losing the battle didn't matter on my part, regardless of what happened, I was a target.

"I'm sorry it was so sudden. Ban and the others were supposed to tell you tomorrow but it was only right we told you now." Jin apologized and I asked him why tell me now, what on earth makes now so important to tell me something this big.

"Because the one who sent you that shield hid it from you all this time." Jin replied and when I asked him who sent it, I felt as a million bricks had suddenly fallen on me.

"The sender was your mother."

* * *

><p>Hiya! Writing this as I go, I couldn't believe I made such a plot twist. I wonder how Rei's going to handle this revelation. I'll update as soon as I can, till then! Please R&amp;R if you have any comments on the grammatical errors I should fix in this story.<p>

**-xXGemini14Xx-**


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